Summer 1980; as punishment for applying for an exit visa from East
Germany, Doctor Barbara Woolf has been transferred from a major hospital in
Berlin to a small remote country hospital. Jörg, her lover, is making plans for her escape, so she waits and keeps-to-herself.
At work, she maintains a facade in order to evade suspicion from the Stasi
officer who is watching her. She is very attentive to her patients. Barbara is
confused by her boss’s confidence in professional abilities. This is further
exasperated when a young girl arrives at the hospital. She is pregnant and does
not want to return to ‘work camp.’ A slow moving and multi-layered drama that
reveals how when one lives where surveillance is high, one must live daily with
lies and aloofness.

Niels, a German engineer, is transferred to Hammerfest Norway to oversee
operations at a liquid gas pipeline. He decides to bring Maria and Markus, his
wife and son. He becomes involved in an affair with his assistant Linda. Maria works
overtime at a local hospice. Markus struggles with puberty and to be accepted
by his classmates. The family relationship is on the brink of ending. On her
way home from a double shift, Maria has a fatal accident; the situation
changes. Niels and Maria struggle with guilt over what happened and are torn
between remaining silent or telling the police or the parents of the victim. Set
against the eerie yet magical background of the Land of the Midnight Sun, this
penetrating family drama explores a family struggling to survive and be
accepted and dependant on the mercy of the local population in a land where
they are outsiders.

Marko has just
published his first book. Living in Berlin since he graduated university, he sees
his parents Gitte and Günter twice a year with his wife Tine and son Zowie.
This time however he and Tine have separated. Günter has sold his publishing
company and is planning his retirement. Marko’s brother Jakob has been
operating a dental clinic along with his girlfriend Ella which was financed by Günter.
For nearly 30 years Gitte has been suffering from a psychiatric disorder making
life difficult for the family. During supper, Gitte makes an announcement
that triggers conflicting reactions and upsets everyone’s plans for a peaceful
weekend together. She has stopped taking her medication. This powerful film
exposes the fragility and often hypocritical aura that envelopes many families
in the world of today and how each of us wear the ‘Mask of Silence.’

For 11 days beginning with Yan Lanouette Turgeon ’s Rock
Paper Scissors on February 21 (at Imperial Cinema) till March 03th 2013, more
than 300 films, representing the ‘cream of the crop’ for Quebec Cinema for the
prior year will be screened at the Cinémathèque Québécoise, Grande Bibliothèque
and the Cineplex Odeon Quartier Latin. In addition, there will be 94 premieres,
25 free events and (new this year) LeRendez-vous Pro (February 27 till Mar
01) for industry professionals. Also new
this year – 3 new film series: Soirées Bell Tapis Bleu, Rendez-vous with the Jutras
and Grandes Primeurs Documentaires.

Below find a run-down of all the films seen at this year’s festival. As time permits a more elaborate critique (features only) will appear under the label “Film Box-Office.” They will be identified with the RVCQ 2013 logo. Updates will appear on a frequent basis (hopefully once a day) so please visit frequently.

Films are listed in ascending order – the most recently
seen on the top)

Parmi
les films au programme pour cette édition et vu pendant 2012, les suivantes
sont à ne pas manquer / Among the films in the program for this Edition and
seen during 2012, the following are not to be missed:

Onur Karaman’s ‘Urban Farm’ is a light-hearted comedy that is
conceptually similar to Nabil Ben Yadir’s ‘Les Barons’. The chemistry and
interactions between the three leading characters and the rest of the cast
effectively captures Quebec’s cultural diversity and how people face the daily
challenges of integration, prejudice and stereotypes. Moroccan born Karim, J.P.
and occasionally José, all in their 20s, sit on park benches all day smoking
joints, drinking, insulting each other, annoying passers-by, waiting for one of
J.P.’s customers to call or drop by to buy some pot. This life of aimlessness and debauchery upset
Karim’s parents.

This
insightful, poignant and thought-provoking film explores the impact of the
Eastman hydro-electric plant and the damming of the Rupert River in order to
divert it to drive the plant. Before it was a majestic torrent, an important
part of the identity of the Cree Nation and a vital source of their sustenance;
now it is barely a big creek. Without resorting to reductionist arguments or
activist rage and using sensitive portraits and observational sequences the
film asks the question: how can natural resources be used to satisfy society’s
needs without trampling on human rights and the environment?

Framed in the context of Cullen Francis and his best
friends sitting around a campfire retelling horror stories, his quest to find
his true identity unfolds. 6 months after his mother’s death from an automobile
accident, he discovers that he is the result of a brutal rape-assault that
nearly killed her. He decides that he must come face to face with this man, his
true biological father who might still be alive in prison. Richard, the ‘father’
who raised him, follows. This gripping and original thriller to be fully grasped
must be closely watched till the very end.

One of the hardest decisions to make is to end the life
of a faithful companion. Such is the case in this emotionally touching film.
Suki is suffering and Mathieu must overcome his heartache and find the strength
and compassion to go through with it.

This animated documentary explores the difficulties,
taboos and realities that women face when they embark upon the journey towards
childbirth and beyond. A group of women anonymously share intimate secrets
regarding their own personal journeys.

Fusion, 2012, 4m, Éric Papatie

Éric wakes up in the woods and he can’t remember
anything. His dog, Beaver advises him that in order to find his memory he must
retrace his steps and that he only has 5 minutes to do so. A very charming fantasy.

Originally from France, Robin now works as a pilot
in Quebec. One day he receives a call that devastates his inner being. It is
painful but he can’t allow it in right now so he takes flight to ease it.

The winter months in Chapais, a small community in
Northern Quebec, have always been long, hard and lonely. Two major recent
events – a fatal fire on New Year’s Eve in 1979 and the mines being closed in
the early 90s –have made them‘longer, harder and lonelier’.Many left but some returned despite having
lost their jobs, family and home.Their
hearts were in the North. They keep themselves busy by taking part in ‘kitty
rallies’, ice fishing, hunting or ski-doo.This film follows 3 such men – Berny, Pico and Jean-Yves – over the
course of a winter.

A projection booth, a heap of 35mm film on the
floor, projectionist has to rewind and repair the film in just 15 minutes. As
he is doing so he is teaching his apprentice what to do and sharing his
memories of past mishaps. A tribute to a profession that is in the midst of a
major transformation as film is disappearing and being replaced by digital.

In
2009, actress Violaine Paradis (entering into her 30s) decides to join the
Sisters of the Congregation of Notre-Dame. This film follows her path towards
life as a Religious from her year as a Postulate and then as a Novice.

Marc
Roger is a ‘white griot.’ He travels from town to town reading stories. He
usually travels by walking and giving public readings from his collection of
books. He latest such excursion was from Saint-Malo in France (where his
parents died) to Bamako, Mali (where he was born). Filmmaker meets up with him
in Morocco and accompanies him. An interesting film from the standpoint of
African culture but I found that the main protagonist to be somewhat
boring.

Pierre (in his 40s) is serving a 15-year-sentance for
hit-and-run. His mother, who is approaching 80, is the only one who visits him.
His ex-wife Suzanne wants to move on with her life. Each character is
recounting what is currently happening. All of this is as voice-overs against
the backdrop of ephemeral imagery which is intended to give the impression that
they are frozen in time. In this reviewer’s mind, the film is a failure in this
regard – I saw little or no connection between the imagery and the narrative.

The
mining and exploitation of uranium is a hot topic (literally and figuratively)
in the region of Minganie on the north shore of the St Lawrence River. Both
sides emotionally anchored to their cause – supporters eager to trumpet the
economic benefits versus opponents warning of grave social and environmental
consequences.

Jean-Baptiste’s brother Johnny suffers from
Huntington’s disease, a degenerative neurological condition. We also learn that their
mother also had it and possibly many other family members. The condition is
often not diagnosed.

A
difficult-to-watch-wake-up-call style documentary that examines the alarming
statistics of fatal crashes on Quebec’s highways involving youth aged 16 to 24.
In the past 5 years 725 have died and an additional 2623 have survived (unfortunately
most had serious and potentially life-changing injuries. Public service
messages regarding the dangers of speeding and impaired driving are not sinking
in; youths are hooked on the ‘thrill’ and they and their loved ones are
suffering the often tragic consequences. More stringent and severe strategies must
be implemented in order to protect our youth and others from themselves.

Filmmaker
travels to her homeland of Armenia and
surrounding states – Georgia and Nagorno- Karabakh – in order to get to know
her fellow countrymen andto hear their
stories of how they coped with the countless social, natural and geopolitical
upheavals in the past century: genocide 1915-23, earthquake 1988, wars with
Azerbaijan (1918-21 and 88-94), collapse of USSR 1991, etc. This gentle,
moving, emotionally evocative and intimate work shows the importance of
heritage and identity.

With
2 Oscars and multiple awards, animator, illustrator and environmentalist Frédéric
Back is a treasure of Quebec heritage. Though he is now 86 and is battling
cancer, his mind is still sharp and his passion has not waned. A look back at
this extraordinary man from his childhood days in Alsace and the timeless
qualities of his prolific works.

Ueshkat Inniun, 2011, 5m, Nemnemiss McKenzie

84-year-old
Mani Aster expresses her fear that the works of her ancestors may not be passed
on to the next generation and dying along with her.

To
escape the harsh Quebecois winters, many flock to Cuba’s ‘all-inclusive’ beach
resorts. Eating, drinking and relaxing all day most tourists do not think of
the ‘real’ Cuba just moments away from the resort. This film superbly looks at
the opposing realities of Cuba – the
tourist attraction and Cuba – the
day-to-day life of the average Cuban.

An
incursion into the imaginative world of Montreal born (1974) sculptor David
Altmejd. His creation L’œil issituated at the entrance of the Bourgie Pavilion of the Montreal
Museum of Fine Arts. His favourite themes of metamorphosis, dreams, eroticism,
death and references to legends, cinema and science fiction has made him a
favourite among art collectors and curators.

For most of us as we age, our bodies become more fragile and
we have limited mobility. As shown with this film, a hobby approached with
passion can be truly liberating. Anne, a fragile woman with limited mobility
has found this freedom through her paintings.

Route
132 is the longest highway in Quebec, following the south shore of the St Lawrence
River from Dundee (on the border with New York) heading east through the
regions of Montérégie, Centre-du-Québec,
Chaudière-Appalaches, Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie. The life of Professor
Gérald McKenzie is closely
connected to Route 132. A meditative and intimate road movie of key moments in
Quebec’s history as seen through his eyes.

An
educationally entertaining exploration of the rivers that once crisscrossed
through many of this world’s urban centers. What has happened to them? The
thoughts of activist groups who search out and explore where these rivers are
today and a look at the efforts of visionary urban planners who have begun to
bring them back into light.

Samuel
discovers that his estranged mother, Nathalie Giguère, has been diagnosed with
breast cancer. In deciding to document her struggle, the rift between them is
healed and they establish a dialogue between them. She was and continued to be
a strong and highly active woman. She turned to her 2 passions - boxing and
visual art - to help her cope and conquer her cancer.

3
of Quebec's most controversial and 'outside the box' choreographers - Dave
St-Pierre, Virginie Brunelle and Frédéric Gravel - talk of their approach to
their art. Ample excerpts from their works are included.

The
inhabitants of Saint-Élie-de-Caxton are suffering. The only ‘nourishment
available is Misery (a bowl of hot water). Ésimésac has no shadow yet has
the strength to move heavy boulders across town. He convinces the inhabitants
to start a community garden. Only Riopel, the blacksmith, refuses to join in
saying that it is a waste of time. At first he competes with Ésimésac but eventually convinces him
that the railway will connect Saint-Élie-de-Caxton to the rest of
the world. A delightfully magical and poetic modern day fable of hope and
community spirit and unity despite extremely harsh conditions.

It
is a Sunday in a small town in rural Quebec – it is a big day – the day of the
annual boat race – everyone will be watching the races except for Seb, Mellie
and Martin. They are planning a robbery. Seb and Mellie were once a couple but
Martin is now Mellie’s boyfriend. Seb tries to convince Mellie to have sex with
him. An immoral comedy.

Sophie lives in a small apartment in a working-class
neighbourhood with her mother. She is preparing for a special evening – she
will be playing the violin in a school concert – a rare opportunity for her to
be with ‘normal’ children.

Istvan, a boy with golden hair and infinite
wisdom, guards the Portal of Nations. He falls in love with Elizabeth. The
Great Chiefs tell him he can be freed of his responsibilities if he is able to
find a fur trout before her 18th birthday. Since he is unable to
leave his post he must enlist the help of travellers passing by. He meets
MacCrimmon who regularly goes to fish in the Lost River (the only place these
creatures live. He agrees but in exchange he wants Istvan’s golden hair. A very
engaging fable – potentially classic.

To many Westerners, a trip to Japan is perceived as a way to
achieve personal spiritual enlightenment, an easy way out of their doldrums.
Recently retired Quebec university professor, Pierre Masson has arrived in the
southern Japanese archipelago Okinawa for that purpose. After completing a
university level seminar in Naha City, he decides to travel to the northern end
of Okinawa. Before he embarks upon the trip Junko (a 40-year-old woman who is
running away from her abusive husband) takes refuge in his arms and becomes his
guide into the culture of Okinawa. He decides to follow destiny.

When Zen’s parents Kunval and Paul were told that he would
be a vegetable (he lacked oxygen during birth and developed cerebral palsy) and
that nothing could help him, they refused to give up and turned to alternative
therapies and achieved tremendous results.

Myriam is tormented by a recent incident. She awakens in a
panic – she has an appointment. She leaves her apartment, oblivious to the fact
that she is soon to come face to face with the most difficult dilemma of her
life.

Elizabeth is 8-and-a-half months pregnant. Jessica is an
aspiring starlet waiting for Richard, Elizabeth’s husband to call her to bring
her to New York City. Elizabeth is confronting Jessica about it. Suddenly, the
relationship between them takes a bizarre turn.

Laurence is all alone tonight – her husband hasn’t come home
and her only child is sleeping over at a friend. During the night, she feels
like she is drowning; can’t wait till morning when she can breathe again.

Since
the mid 2000s, due mainly to the international successes of such groups as
Arcade Fire and Karkwa, Montreal's diverse, bold and independent music scene
has found itself on top of the rock world. Not only exploring this phenomenon,
this film also examines the points of connection between the Francophone and
Anglophone scenes.

Catherine Proulx
goes backstage in the Café Cléopâtre to explore why the last cabaret on The
Main (Boulevard St Laurent) is still presenting nightly shows despite being
surrounded by boarded up buildings.

It is the early morning on the eve of war. A man has just
left a dockside tavern. He is carrying a bottle of whisky in his pocket. He is
waiting for the train that will take him to this war. An experimental film that
is a bit difficult to perceive what is going on.

The motto of The
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (a gay rights activist group founded in San
Francisco in the 1980s and now boasts no fewer than 400 followers worldwide) is
"to spread universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt." For 7 years,
Joe Balass took his camera to film Mish, one of its founding members. Going
by his 'nom-de-guerre' Sister Missionary P. Delight, sporting a white
Santa-like beard, heart-shaped glasses and an outsized comette, it is easy to
shrug him off as just another eccentric, but this interesting and unique film
deftly shows that this is not the case.

Griffintown
(south-western district of Montreal), Canada’s oldest working-class
neighbourhoods was once a bustling hub of the industrial era. Many of its warehouses
and horse stables have closed and are being demolished to make room for condominiums.
The Horse Palace was built in the 1850s and is presently owned by Leo Leonard. The
stables are in dire need of restoration and Leo is in his mid 80s. He is under
pressure to yield to sell it for urban redevelopment. A deeply nostalgic
tribute to an era that will soon disappear unless something is done to preserve
this rich cultural heritage.

Kees Vanderheyden was just a young boy when his homeland of
Holland was occupied by Nazi Germany. Today, over 60 years later, he lives in
Quebec and recounts his experiences to children in schools throughout the
province. In this medium-length film, we see him doing so and we also are
witness to the emotional reunion with an Austrian orphaned girl named Traudi.
Traudi was taken in by his family and she became like a sister to him. It took Kees8 years to find her.

Graduation from high school is one of
the most life-changing chapters for young people – it is the time when one
leaves childhood to become a young adult. It is a time when most must leave the
comforts of home, family and friends in order to find their place in the larger
world. Many face conflicting emotions as they anticipate adulthood with all of
its joy and tragedies. Straddling the fine line between documentary and
fiction, the filmmaker follows a group of graduates from the village of Dégelis, situated in Quebec near the border
with New Brunswick.

African-born Sophie (25) has lived in Quebec since she was
5. She lands a summer job with a travelling carnival.Just having completed a degree in documentary
film, her boss requests that she makes a short promotional film. Agreeing to do
so, she films everything her co-workers and herself do. The camera takes on a
role going far beyond just a recording device; becoming an suit of armour as
she confronts a painful atrocity inflicted upon her when she was only 4 years
of age.Shot as a documentary, the film
had very little focus on its major issue.

A lunar eclipse – the exact alignment of the sun, earth and
moon – is approaching. Boucane (Rock)
isa young native fresh off the
reserve, on his way to Montreal to start anew meets Norman, a has-been former
mob boss. Lorenzo (Paper) is an
immigrant who is looking to make enough money to fulfil his dying wife’s last
wish – to be buried in her village of birth. Vincent (Scissors) is a discredited doctor forced to work for the Chinese
Triad. 3 men searching for a way out of their predicaments, whose lives are on
a collision course with each other.

Nancy's Books are sold on Kindle or you can email her at hovecreekproductions@gmail.com

Beyond the Dream: Epic Solitude - Nancy's collection of Poetry & short stories. Contact hovecreekproductions@gmail.com or Click on image to read article. Here is the link to Martin Barry's article: http://martincbarry.weebly.com. Book is also available on Amazon Kindle

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Nancy Snipper is also an accomplished singer/songwriter – banjo player and classical pianist. Her three CDs have garnered much media praise along with her performances (Canada, Mexico, Cuba). Her voice is astoundingly beautiful – velvety in her blues numbers, sensual and sizzling in her folk, rock and country compositions. Now you can own one of her CDs. For enquiries about owning her CDs and/or booking performances contact her at this email: hovecreekproductions@gmail.com. Her CDs help raise money for cancer research.

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Collaborators / Collaborateurs:

Sylvain Richard

Nancy Snipper

Note / Nota:

July 10, 2016:The beginning of a new and exciting chapter! Nancy Snipper's (a.k.a S.N.) first posting on her own blog: http://sntravelandartswithoutborders.blogspot.ca/**********************************************To see all articles on a specific topic, scroll down to LABELS and click on desired LABEL. Full articles will appear one after the other that pertain to that label.Keep scrolling down to view more articles, and at end of page, click on OLDER POSTS to read more.Enjoy!